Great Egrets Return
Here we have one of the many returning Great Egrets seeking out our ponds, lakes and shores throughout the Northeast. This one, photographed last weekend, was in the middle of gulping down a snack. Our weather looks to be improving towards warmer and more typical conditions soon. Perhaps we can say goodbye to snow and freezing temperatures, making life for these birds – and their prey – that much easier. Egrets are a beautiful sight, and one of those species that even the non-birder recognizes and enjoys seeing back in our waters.
Read MoreBlue-winged Teals
During this strange weather – spring in winter, winter in spring, and a mix of both back and forth – we still have birds fighting their way to the north. On days with a strong southerly flow there is plenty of migration occurring, and while we will soon have yards full of brightly colored songbirds, there are some wonderful waterfowl species coming through, too. The drake Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors) featured in these two distant photos was in the company of a hen and one other pair, all four swimming, preening and resting in a pond among American Black Ducks.
Read MoreExposed Nest
The onset of winter always exposes other parts of nature that we may have missed earlier in the year. In this case this looks to possibly be a Baltimore Oriole nest on a tree near a pond. I visited this spot a few times during what would have been the breeding season, but I did not notice them way up there among the leaves. I wonder how successful they were and if all of their nestlings made it out into the world. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreHidden Wood Duck
This pond had a bunch of Mallards, American Black Ducks, and some hybrids…and hidden in the back were a couple of Wood Ducks, a treat for a December day when this water could very well have been frozen over in many other years. I hope you will be able to put on your t-shirt and shorts and get outside to enjoy this unfathomable stretch of holiday heat this weekend. See what you can find and keep an open mind – in the past week I have seen uncommon lingering birds like these, a dragonfly (Autumn Meadowhawk) and a butterfly (Orange Sulphur). It’s unbelievable! Scott Kruitbosch...
Read MoreUnfrozen Waters
Staring through the trees and seeing an unfrozen pond is a very common sight right now in the end of autumn when, at the most, we have a slight bit of ice or a little frost here and there. While everything “feels” like winter with a low sun, brown, decaying vegetation, and the cold “look” to the environment, our days are warming to historic levels. Whether it’s the weather or the climate – and in this case it’s both – nature has a strange feel to it at the moment thanks to El Niño.
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